Playwright Edward Albee, in one of his first works, The Zoo Story, says since his character, Jerry, Sometimes it takes you a oversize accommodation out of your way, to come back a short distance, correctly.

No kidding!

Hundreds of times since I read, acted in, and directed that play, Ive come back to ponder the wisdom in these words.

Recently, Ive been reflecting on my eight-year journey to achieving the rank, Shodan, Black Belt, in Kenpo Karate. Am I different than I was in the beginning of this quest?

Im not sure I can say I am; and Im okay with that, if its true.

I studied Eastern philosophy and Zen since I was a teenager, decades ago, and I thought I had arrived at certain core insights regarding myself, and the universe.

Time and experience would shake these beliefs, and make me seek greater certitude, enhanced self-confidence, and most important, a bulwark against fear. So, I started karate training.

Now, I can see with real clarity, that I dont have to fear a physical attack of any kind. Im 6-2, and about 200 pounds, and people like me just arent picked on, at least, physically.

I didnt feel that before; but now, I know its true.

So, do I need to be the efficient killer that Ive learned to be?

Of course, not, and as the Tao, a great book of wisdom, says, I know it would be the greatest misfortune to have an enemy, that forced me into a violent response.

A popular, and often cited Zen verse says, before you study Zen a cup of tea is just thata cup of tea. During your study, it is something more complicated, but at the end of your journey, it is just a cup of tea, once more.

Perhaps, thats what Albee meant.

Anyway, I encourage you to study martial arts, but appreciate this: If you do it right, youll go way beyond fighting and even come to see it as repugnant, because a true karate or kindred art, is one without violence.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable, published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it